Boyd says he won’t support it because it doesn’t do enough to “control costs.” He doesn’t mention that 7 of his fellow Blue Dogs held the bill “hostage” in the Energy & Commerce Committee and demanded the removal of key cost control measures (such as tying reimbursement rates to Medicare) before they would vote for it. Boyd also brags about keeping a health care bill bill from passing before the August recess, which subjected his fellow Democrats to abuse at town halls across the country.

It won’t be an easy race — Rep. Lawson has raised $55,285 through June 30, none of it from PACS. Boyd on the other hand has raised $570,133 during that same period, with over $420,000 in PAC money from such disinterested parties as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Merck, Pfizer, and my favorite — Koch Industries, which financed a huge chunk of the August teabagger astroturfing.

Unsurprisingly, Boyd favors co-ops.

Senator Lawson favors a public option:

Florida Senator Al Lawson, who has served the people of the Big Bend for more than 25 years in the state legislature, has offered his opinion on the matter – “Real health care reform must include a public option.”

“I was greatly troubled to read recently that 126,000 citizens of Congressional District 2 are lacking basic health care coverage,” said Lawson.

“For months, nothing has been done in Washington. Both sides have bickered over ideology, while at the same time, families in my community continue to live one health crisis away from complete economic devastation,” stated Lawson.

“This is unacceptable.”

According to a recent U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce report, 126,000 citizens, or 18-percent, of Congressional District 2 lack basic health care coverage.

We wanted to invite Senator Lawson on to chat with people about the race and about his views on the health care battle. You can find out more about his campaign here.

Jane Hamsher

Jane is the founder of Firedoglake.com. Her work has also appeared on the Huffington Post, Alternet and The American Prospect. She’s the author of the best selling book Killer Instinct and has produced such films Natural Born Killers and Permanent Midnight. She lives in Washington DC.Subscribe in a reader